Process of depilating and reducing hides and skins.



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rarer at E4 551 a ilun PROCESS OF DEEILATING AND REDUCING HIDlES AND SKINS.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, O'rro Ronni, a subject I of the Emperor of Germany, residing in Skins, of whlch the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a method of depilatin and reducing, that is, dissolving the so-ca ed scud, of hides and skins by the employment of which the separate processes of liming and hating the hides and skins as now employed in the manufacture ofleather are eliminated. i

One of the objects, therefore, of my inven tion, is to decrease the number of processes or steps employed in the manufacture of leather and thereby cause a corresponding decrease in the amount of work necessary to be done. p

A further object, which is effected by the elimination of the liming process, is to shorten the time heretofore necessarily rcquired for the two steps or processes of liming and hating employed in the course of the.

manufacture of leather.

The employment of tryptic cnzyms, for

' instance, the trypsin of the pancreas, in the process of hating hides and skins has heretofore been practised but it was not known prior to my discovery of the fact that the depilation 'of the hides and skins and the removal of the so-called scud therefrom might and could be effected by treating the same with solutions containing cryptic enzyme, for instance, trypsin of the pancreas. It will be seen, therefore, that by the employment of such solution to take the place of the limin process the letter is completely eliminate thereby removing one of the heretofore employed steps in the manufacture of leather.

In the practising of my invention the hides or skins which have been soaked in water are placed in a solution of tryptic enzyms, for instance, the trypsin of the pancreas. The action of this solution upon the hides or skins enables the complete removal therefrom of both the hair and the send.

Although trypsin may be employed alone Specification of Letters Patent.

finalisation filed December 4, 1911. Serial No. 863,903.

Patented Pier.

in solution l have found that the action thereof is enhanced by employing the same in tin-alkaline solution.

My process may be carried out or prac tised and the same eiicct produced by first placing the hides or skins for a short time in an alkaline solution before or after using a solution of trypsin. tr psin may also be aided by the addition 0. amino acid.

Putrcfaction may, of course, be prevented by the addition of any suitable antiseptic substance.

-Various advantages result from the treatment of hides or skins with trypsin as above set forth.

As already pointed out, the employment of my invention in the treatment of the hides and skins eliminates entirely the process or step of liming heretofore employed, thereby decreasing not only the amount of work necessary in the operation of manufacturing leather but also decrcas- "3 ing the length of time necessary for the The action oi the preparation of the hides or skins for the tanning liquor.

Another advantageous result is that the injury to the hair .or wool caused by the liming process heretofore employed is obvi ated so that th by-proclucts of hair and wool are in much wetter condition and therefore more valuable than they hereto-fore have been. I

l urthermore, .by the employment of my invention as above set forthhthe hygienic condition of thebeam house is greatly improved to the benefit of the workmen employed therein. I

thcr objects and advantages which will not be mentioned here will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates.

Having thus described my invention, I claim L The process of depilating and reducing hides and skins which consists in treating the same with a solution of tryptic enzym.

2. The process of depilating and reducing 1.

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hides and skins which consists in soaking the same in water anclthereafter treating the same with a solution of tryptic enzymi 4. The process of depilating and reducing hides and skins which consists in soaking the same in water and thereafter treating the same with an alkaline sohition of tryptic enzym. v

5. The process of depilating and reducing hides and skins which consists in treating them first in an alkaline solution and then with a solution of tryptie enzym.

6. The process of depilating and reducing hides and skins which consists in treating In testimony that I claim the toregoing 20 as my invention, I have hereunto signed my name this 12th day of November, A; D. 1911, at Darmstadt, Germany.

v OTTO In the presence ofi MAX GOLDMANN, RICHARD SLAU'I'I'ER. 

